US and Israel negotiate providing Ukraine with 8 Patriot systems
The US, Israel, and Ukraine are negotiating to equip Kyiv with up to eight Patriot air defence systems to protect against Russian assault.
Source: Financial Times, citing five informed sources, as reported by European Pravda
Details: According to FT sources, the agreement to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine was negotiated among the three countries’ ministries and top officials.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, and Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, were among those who led the negotiations. There were also direct talks between Israel and Ukraine.
The agreement would most likely concern eight Patriot batteries that are more than 30 years old and will be decommissioned, as Israel announced in April. These systems, M901 PAC-2, are older than the PAC-3s currently in use in Ukraine.
However, analysts polled by the Financial Times believe that PAC-2 is entirely compatible with PAC-3. Israel has an adequate supply of interceptor missiles for these weapons, which have a longer range and a heavier warhead.
According to FT, this could make them well suited to intercept Russian aircraft firing destructive guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian cities and military sites from across the front line.
Given Moscow's influence in Syria, where Israeli air forces frequently engage Iranian-linked militants, Israel has thus far rebuffed Ukraine's demands for military aid.
In 2022, the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel submitted an official request to the government for air defence equipment that would allow Kyiv to resist Iranian ballistic missiles and Russian attack drones.
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